SIZE:
When it comes to a fixed blade I want as much blade length as I can get without the knife feeling awkward or unbalanced. The Southfork strikes a great balance for me here. Most of my use for the knife has been fish cleaning and and the Southfork has been a very useful size. Often I find a shorter, stiffer blade useful when cleaning and fileting smaller fish. I have even been known to use my military to disassemble small snapper. The Southfork has been a perfect "in-be-tweener" for this kind of work. My other main use has been in the kitchen and though the blade length isn't long enough for every kitchen task, it has proven to be a very useful size.
HANDLE AND ERGONOMICS:
A++ About as good as it gets IMHO. Handle is perfect size for my hand. Works great in multiple grips. The edge is always exactly where you want it to be when gripping the knife naturally. Choil is great and I wouldn't mind if it was a tad deeper to more safely "seat" the index finger in a forward grip. If there were anything I would change it would be the finish on the handle...it can be a bit slick when covered in blood. I will probably rough sand mine a bit to give it some extra grip but this is something that might bear consideration on a knife that's designed as an all around fish&game cleaning knife.
BLADE STEEL:
What you would expect from s90v. (I microbevel with the corners of the brown rods at 40 degrees) Outstanding edge retention even when pushed hard. I've spent a lot of time cleaning big snapper with this knife and if you want to find some abrasive material, look no further. When you start sawing an edge against that heavy skin, huge scales and rib and tail bones you will dull an edge very quickly! I found that after 5-10 minutes of work the knife would lose it's "hair popping" edge but would still shave and push cut magazine paper. After that initial decrease in edge sharpness though, it would maintain the working edge for a long time! I have no idea how long because I have always re sharpened long before it got dull. Suffice it to say that I don't believe I am a good enough fisherman to catch more fish that the Southfork could handle in one sitting. :)
GRIND:
Full flat grind was an obvious choice for a knife of this nature an it performs great. I remember reading some debate (complaints) on here about the grind being a bit thicker behind the edge on the production model than on Phil's customs. I believe that is true. Is this good or bad? Depends. How are you using the knife? Are you slicing deli meat and cutting broccoli? If so, you might prefer the grind on a custom. For me I find the grind on the production model to be plenty thin. In fact, I would not want it any thinner. For me, an all around knife like this gets used pretty hard. I have cut off heads and tails, cut through rib bones and cartilage and I often use my off hand against the spine to push through some tougher cuts. Good or bad technique, that's how I use this kind of knife. If the grind were any thinner I would feel like I had to back off and use the edge more gently. So yeah, the production model will probably cut through less cardboard and won't slice carrots quite as well, but I believe it actually makes for a better all around fish cleaning knife...for my uses anyway.
CORROSION RESISTANCE AND BOAT USE:
One of my reasons for buying the knife was to carry it fishing with me on the kayak. I did this every day for a couple of weeks and ultimately what I discovered is that I prefer my folders on the kayak. Space is a very precious commodity out there and a fixed blade just doesn't feel as efficient in that environment. So after two weeks I parked the Southfork at the house and just pull it out when I get in. As far as corrosion resistance, the steel performed well. About like most other stainless steels on the ocean. You have to wipe em down good when you come in or they will start rusting after a single trip but as long as you give them some basic maintenance it's no problem. Corrosion isn't that big of a deal on a fixed blade where you can get to it. The reason h1 is so important to me is because of my use of folders. On a saltwater knife, once you start hiding away steel in liners and pivots, things can get ugly fast.
SHEATH:
Great sheath. Good fit and retention. As others have suggested, some sort of thumb ramp would be helpful for one handed removal since the retention is pretty strong. The sheath should also have drain holes IMO. I went ahead and drilled a few of my own. G-clip is strong and very adjustable.
KITCHEN USE:
This was probably the biggest surprise. This thing makes an amazing kitchen knife! I had plans to play with it in the kitchen a bit but this knife has actually become one of my go to food prep knives. I would not hesitate to recommend the knife purely on that use!
OVERALL:
Overall, I am extremely pleased with this knife. It is obvious that a lot of thought went into the design and that it was a purpose driven design. It still doesn't have the same "fondlability" (like my made up word?
) as a high end folder but like many spydercos it's beauty lies in its functionality. The more I use this knife, the more I like it. It has also taught me to leave my coarse edges alone. On my folders I'm always tempted to "over-refine" my edges but the coarse edge just works so **** well on this knife and steel that it's easy to leave it alone. I would highly recommend this knife to anyone looking for an all around fish and game cleaning knife or a good medium sized kitchen knife in a great steel. So that's about it guys. Hopefully that helps give someone a better idea of what the knife is all about.
Edit: I just reread what I wrote and I feel like I left a lot out. So yeah, I've got plenty more opinions...just ask. :rolleyes:
Re edited to add a few glamour shots. I've posted most of these before in other threads but thought I would put em all together here.
